hitects'
services were in demand. David's business continued good. Among his
clients was a gambling contractor who shaved his architects' fees but
made up for that by the largeness of his operations. There seemed to
be no need of cutting down "extras." They were not cut down.

It was on the whole a cloudless year. There were, to be sure, a few
little quarrels, impatient words sharply answered, but there was also
the exquisite joy of harmony restored. There were occasions when David
found Shirley in tears, both cake or roast and fingers burned;
occasions which he made festive by carrying her off to the club for
dinner. There were evenings at the theater and concerts, gifts
impulsively bought and rewarded with kisses, little household purchases
that gave a pleasure out of all proportion to their cost, as it seemed
at the time. But there were never any doubts, nor any fears. For all
their demands there was money. The handicap of debt under which they
had started was even a little diminished. As for rainy days--but why
should happy young love take thought of them?

On their first anniversary they gave a dinner in the apartment, twelve
covers with flowers and all the wedding silver on display and a
caterer's man to serve. Shirley, in a new gown, was at her loveliest,
beaming with the happiness of hospitality prettily dispensed. When the
last guest was gone, they turned out all the lights but one shaded
lamp, she found a seat on his knee, snuggled close to him, and they
fell into a long silence.

After a while she stirred. "It's been a wonderful year, hasn't it?"

"You express the sense of the meeting, dear."

"Being poor isn't so bad, after all, is it?"

"Not bad at all, I find." He took up the catechism. "You haven't once
regretted that Sam Hardy chap, have you? With all his money--let's
see, was it millions or billions?"

"Hush!" She laid a hand over his lips. "Not even in fun. That's
almost profane."

There was another silence, broken at length by a contented chuckle from
David.

"Am I doing anything specially ridiculous?" she murmured sleepily from
his shoulder.

"I was just remembering. A year ago tonight I was frightened almost
into a faint. I thought living together might turn out to be _hard_."

"And _we_ know that is perfectly absurd."

You must excuse them. If they had been lovers out of a book, they
would have talked in dithyrambs or long perfervid paragraphs. Since
they wer